FELLWOODS - Wulfram (CD)

Broadening the At War roster's sonic palate further, Portland, Oregon's Fellwoods give us a slab of bluesey, hard-edged rock with a great vintage 70s sound. I'm loathe to do so, but I'm sure these guys (formerly The Moss) will be lumped in with the current "retro-rock" revival, which includes some great bands, and some questionable bandwagon-jumpers. The major differentiator for me is the ability to just write a GOOD TUNE-unconsciously and without pretence-and Fellwoods most definitely do that!

It's very stripped-down, direct and raw blues rock which gives a heavy nod to the proto metal of the self-titled Bang LP, the first Sir Lord Baltimore record and even early Judas Priest (Rocka Rolla is an absolutely minsunderstood classic in my opinion). The vocals aren't a million miles away from Halford early caterwaul either and fit with the sense of kinetic urgency throughout. There are some fantastic psychedelic spacey passages going on too,refelected in the beautfiful cover art by vocalist/guitarist Adam Burke.